Metta Hour With Sharon Salzberg

For episode 217 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing the Real Life Series celebrating Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Dr. Gabor Maté about states of contraction and how that relates to addiction. Recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit. Gabor Maté is a renowned speaker and bestselling author. After 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, Gabor worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of four books published in over thirty languages, Gabor is sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness. His latest book, released in 2022, is titled the Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. In this conversation, Gabor and Sharon speak about states of contraction and how that relates to addiction.To le

For episode 216 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing the Real Life Series celebrating Sharon’s new book by the same name, “Real Life.” In this conversation, Duncan and Sharon speak about states of contraction. How we get stuck there and how to find our way back to a place of openness and curiosity.This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Duncan Trussell, recorded for the Living An Authentic Life Summit.Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and actor. His popular podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, has been downloaded over 25 million times and is known for its blend of humor, fringe ideas, eclectic guests, and great interviews. The DTFH is the foundation for Duncan’s Netflix animated series, The Midnight Gospel, which he co-created with Pendleton Ward in 2020. To learn more about Duncan’s work, visit his website at duncantrussell.com. This is Duncan’s first appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast.Sharon's newest book, Real Life, is now available from Flat

For episode 215 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” In this conversation, Courtney and Sharon speak about expansion and the challenges and rewards of working for the common good.This conversation between Sharon and Courtney E. Martin was pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit. Courtney E. Martin is the author of four books, most recently, Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter’s School, and a popular newsletter, Examined Family. She’s also the co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, FRESH Speakers, and the Bay Area chapter of Integrated Schools, as well as the Storyteller-in-Residence at The Holding Co. She has written frequently for The New York Times, On Being, and other publications.Sharon's newest book, Real Life, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s webs

For episode 214 of the Metta Hour, we continue our Mental Health Series with teacher and author George T. Mumford.In this series, Sharon is speaking with teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health, applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice. This multi-part series aires every other week in the coming months. In this episode, Sharon is joined by author and teacher George T. Mumford, a.k.a. The Mindfulness Performance Whisperer.George Mumford is a highly acclaimed and leading expert in sports psychology & performance. Phil Jackson’s ‘Secret Weapon’ to winning eight NBA Championships. George is the author of “The Mindful Athlete” and his 2023 book, “Unlocked: Embrace Your Greatness, Find the Flow, Discover Success.” In this conversation, George and Sharon discuss:• George’s mental health journey• Looking at mental health as a spectrum• The myth that mental illness is rare• Transforming roadblocks into stepping stones• The public stigma for athletes• Le

For episode 213 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Anu Gupta, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit.Anu Gupta is a human rights lawyer, social scientist, educator, and the Founder of BE MORE with Anu. He has dedicated himself to finding solutions to bias through two decades of original research, fieldwork with diverse communities globally, and 10,000 hours of meditation practice. Anu has written and spoken extensively, including on the TED stage, the Oprah Conversation, Fast Company, and Newsweek. In this conversation, Sharon and Anu discuss the theme of contraction from Sharon’s new book, Real Life.To learn more about Anu’s work, you can visit his website at bemorewithanu.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 212 of the Metta Hour, we continue our Mental Health Series with meditation teacher and author Kimberly Brown.In this series, Sharon is speaking with teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health, applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice. This multi-part series aires every other week in the coming months. In this episode, Sharon is joined by author and meditation teacher Kimberly Brown. Kim is a guide to the transformative power of compassion and love, interpreting traditional Buddhist techniques into accessible and relevant practices for modern life.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaKimberly Brown is a meditation teacher and the author Steady, “Calm, and Brave” and “Navigating Grief And Loss,” both published by Prometheus Books. In this conversation, Kim and Sharon discuss:• Kim’s first education about Mental Health• To

For episode 211 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are continuing a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” In this episode pulled, from the Living An Authentic Life Summit, Sharon and Sarah Ruhl speak about creativity as a spiritual practice and how it naturally emerges from our path. Sarah Ruhl is an award-winning American playwright, author, essayist, and professor. Her plays have been produced on Broadway, nationwide, and internationally. Among her most popular are Eurydice (2003), The Clean House (2004), and In the Next Room (2009). Sarah is a 13P and New Dramatists member and won the MacArthur Fellowship in 2006. She teaches at Yale School of Drama and lives in Brooklyn with her family. To learn more about Sarah’s work, you can visit her website at SarahRuhlPlaywright.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 210 of the Metta Hour, we are beginning a special Mental Health Series!In this series, Sharon sits down with different teachers, experts, and health advocates to explore and destigmatize mental health. Applying the tools of Buddhist wisdom and spiritual practice, this multi-part series airs every other week for the coming months. For the inaugural episode of the series, Sharon speaks with teacher and activist, Reggie Hubbard.Mental Health ResourcesPsychology Today Website to fine a therapist with Mindfulness TrainingThe Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman Colleague of Sharon’s Mark Epstein Psychiatrist & Author with a Buddhist lensNalanda Institute Contemplative Psychotherapy ProgramToday's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaReggie Hubbard is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. He has

For episode 209 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we have the seventh episode in a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Parker Palmer, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit.Real Life is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.Parker is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change issues. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. He is the author of ten books—including several award-winning titles—that have sold nearly two million copies and been translated into ten languages. His work has touched the lives of millions of people worldwide, seeking to live more courageously and authentically while serving the human possibility. In this episode, Parker and Sharon speak about:• Parker’s lif

For episode 208 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we have the sixth episode in a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.”Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaThis interview features a conversation between Sharon and Pete Holmes, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit. Pete is a comedian, writer, actor, cartoonist, podcast host, author, and spiritual seeker. His book, Comedy Sex God, explores his relationship with faith and comedy. His popular podcast, You Made It Weird, is a comedic exploration of the meaning of life, with guests ranging from Seth Rogen to Blake Griffin. As a comedian, Pete created and starred in the semi-autobiographical HBO show Crashing, which he executive produced alongside Judd Apatow. He is also an accomplished stand-up comedian with numerous television specials and late-night appearances.Real Life is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover,

For episode 207 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are celebrating the release of Sharon’s new book, Real Life, with a recording of her virtual book launch event.Recorded on April 11, 2023, and hosted by the Insight Meditation Society’s Book Club, this event features a conversation with Sharon and JoAnna Hardy, moderated by Dan Harris.Real Life is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.In this conversation, Sharon, JoAnna, and Dan speak about:The impetus for the book, Real LifeHow committed meditators can still be stuckWhere Sharon struggles with opennessJoanna’s journey with shameThe difference between guilt and shameHandshake practiceGrowth mindset versus fixed mindsetJoanna’s daily practiceLove taking the form of fierce compassionNavigating a meditation droughtThe growing pains of learning new thingsWhat role community plays in Real LifeAging gracefully and staying openWhat authentic livin

For episode 206 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are releasing a special extended excerpt of the Real Life Audiobook.Read by Sharon, this hour-long excerpt includes the introduction of the book entitled “Introduction: Embarking on a Journey Together” and the first chapter, “From Constriction to Expansion.” The book Real Life is available April 11th, 2023 from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. To learn more about the book or get a copy, you can visit Sharon’s website here.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For episode 205 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we have the third in a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Sarah Jones, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life SummitTo learn more about Sarah’s work, you can visit her website. To hear this interview in it’s entirety, you can sign up for the Living an Authentic Life Summit right here, which runs online from March 29th – April 5th and is free to join.Sarah is a Tony Award-winning solo performer, writer, comedian and activist. Sarah is mainly known for her multi-character one-person shows, including Broadway hit Bridge & Tunnel and the critically-acclaimed play Sell/Buy/Date, which inspired the film. In this conversation, Sarah and Sharon speak about:• Sarah’s new film, “Sell/Buy/Date”• Art expanding what seems possible• The political nature of art• The necessity of courage• The impacts of covid• Being able to give our all in life• Sitting down and getting real• An encounter with th

For episode 204 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we have the second in a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Zainab Salbi, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaZainab is a humanitarian, author and journalist. Oprah Winfrey identified her as one of the 25 women changing the world to People Magazine and Foreign Policy Magazine called Zainab one of “100 Top Global Thinkers”. She is the co-founder for DaughtersforEarth.com, Chief Awareness Officer at FindCenter.com, and host of Redefined podcast. Zainab is also the author of several books, including the national bestseller Between Two Worlds. To learn more about Zainab’s work, you can visit her website. To hear this interview in it’s entirety, you can sign up for the Living an Authentic Life Summit right here, which runs on

For episode 203 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we have the first in a special series celebrating Sharon’s new book, “Real Life.” This interview features a conversation between Sharon and Jon Kabat-Zinn, pulled from the Living An Authentic Life Summit. Jon is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, and its world-renown Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic. He is the author of 15 books, including the bestseller Full Catastrophe Living. His latest book published in 2023 is Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief: Practices to Reclaim Your Body and Your Life.The conversation begins with Jon leading a guided meditation practice, followed by a dynamic interview in which Jon and Sharon discuss:• Jon’s first exposure to meditation• mindfulness as a love affair• what is authentic living• translating ancient teaching of the Buddha• Jon’s early teaching at UMass• freeing ourselves f

For Episode 202 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon is joined by lifelong friend, Jack Kornfield to talk about the power of Community.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaIn this conversation, Jack and Sharon discuss the many nuances of community, which is one of the three gems in Buddhism. They speak about:• What the three jewels are• The ways that community supported their early life on the path• What community offers the individual• What COVID revealed about interconnection• The epidemic of loneliness• How to cultivate community today• Jack’s new endeavor, Cloud SanghaThe episode closes with Jack leading a guided meditation. Join Sharon, Jack and seven of today's thought leaders in the space of mindfulness and meditation for a free online summit! Take a journey to inner peace, freedom and joy March 29 – April 2, 2023. Enroll for the Living an Authentic Life Summit for free: Join The

Koshin Paley Ellison joins Sharon for Episode 201 of the Metta Hour speaking about his new book, Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaKoshin is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and ACPE Certified Chaplaincy Educator. After more than a decade as a chaplain and psychotherapist, Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Koshin is a renowned thought leader in contemplative care and he is the author of several books. In this conversation, Sharon and Koshin speak about:• What drew Koshin to write on the 8-Fold Path• The importance of the four noble truths outside Buddhism• The definition of suffering in Buddhism• Being with suffering in a loving way• Writing as a form of gratitude• The 8-Fold Path as approach to practice• Shame versus embarrassment• Right Effort and Rig

For episode 200 of The Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with Diana Winston and Sue Smalley, Ph.D. about the re-release of their book, Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness. In this episode, Sharon, Diana and Sue speak at length about the advances in research over the past decade in the scientific research of meditation, mindfulness and compassion practice.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaDiana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center and the author of The Little Book of Being, and Wide Awake: A Buddhist Guide for Teens. She has been teaching mindfulness since 1999 in a variety of settings, and developed the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS) curriculum and the Training in Mindfulness Facilitation, which trains mindfulness teachers worldwide.Sue Smalley, Ph.D. is a Professor emerita in the Depa

For Episode 199 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon and Joseph Goldstein are interviewed by Lily Cushman, recalling their early lives.They each share what drew them to the path of meditation in the late sixties and early seventies and their initial years of practice in the East. This podcast is being released in tandem with the Insight Hour Podcast. Joseph Goldstein has been teaching meditation since 1974. He and Sharon are co-founders of the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, located in Barre, Massachusetts. Joseph is the author of numerous books, including Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening and Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom. Dan Harris calls him “a key architect of the rise of mindfulness in our modern society.”Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/mettaIn this conversation, Joseph shares about:growing up in the Catskills • early encounter

We have something special to share with you!Dan Harris (host of Ten Percent Happier) flies to Dharamsala, India to spend two weeks in the orbit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is the first installment of a five-part audio documentary series, something we’ve never done before now. Over the course of the episodes, we talk to His Holiness about practical strategies for thorny dilemmas, including: how to get along with difficult people; whether compassion can cut it in an often brutal world; why there is a self-interested case for not being a jerk; and how to create social connection in an era of disconnection. We also get rare insights from the Dalai Lama into everything from the mechanics of reincarnation to His Holiness’s own personal mediation practice. In this first installment, Dan watches as a young activist directly challenges His Holiness: In a world plagued by climate change, terrorism, and other existential threats, is the Dalia Lama’s message of compassion practical — or even relevant?